About:
Claiming Williams Day was first celebrated on February 5, 2009. Classes were suspended, and the Williams community—students, staff, and faculty—participated in a series of events and discussions to confront challenging issues and to work to build an inclusive community.
Claiming Williams was born when a series of incidents in an entry in January 2008 sparked a grassroots student movement that was joined by staff and faculty, and became known as Stand with Us. The hope was that the community would work pro-actively to prevent hurtful, hateful incidents, rather than just responding afterwards (See History).
Comprised of students, staff, and faculty, the Claiming Williams Steering Committee receives and reviews proposals for events for Claiming Williams Day and for events throughout the year, continuing to foster discussions on respect and diversity and to work towards building an inclusive community (See Request for Proposals).
Mission Statement:
Claiming Williams invites the community to acknowledge and understand the uncomfortable reality that not all students, staff, and faculty can equally “claim” Williams. By challenging the effects of the College’s history of inequality that are based on privileges of class, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and religion, we will provoke individual, institutional, and cultural change.
Next Claiming Williams Date: Thursday, February 2, 2012
